The present invention relates to chewing gum products. More particularly, the invention relates to chewing gum products which have a rolling compound which includes a liquid flavor.
For many years it has been known to dust products such as chewing gum with materials such as powdered sucrose to improve appearance and initial taste. The dusting also is intended to prevent the chewing gum from sticking to the fingers when handled, or to the wrapper.
The material which is used to dust chewing gum can be referred to as a "dusting compound". The same compound can also be referred to as a "rolling compound" because the compound is used to make the gum more manageable during processing, including rolling and sheeting. Because the two terms are interchangeable, the term "rolling compound" will be used herein for convenience.
At least two patents have issued which teach methods of enhancing rolling compounds with high potency sweeteners so as to enhance the overall sweetness perception of the chewing gum. U.S. Pat. No. 4,374,858 to Glass et al. discloses aspartame added to the rolling compound of chewing gum. U.S. Pat. No. 4,562,076 to Arnold et al. discloses the use of thaumatin and/or monellin in rolling compounds.
Some work has been done in the past to enhance the flavor perception of chewing gum products by adding flavors to the rolling compound. However, for the most part, these attempts have employed flavors in powdered form, e.g. spray dried or encapsulated flavors, which powdered forms can be more expensive and/or less desirable in terms of flavor quality.
It is thought that one reason for using flavors in powdered form is the necessity to keep the rolling compound in a consistently free flowing state. In particular, because rolling compounds are used with rolling and sheeting equipment, it is important that a rolling compound have consistent flow characteristics, e.g. resistance to caking, so as to avoid equipment malfunction. Consistent flow characteristics are also important to insure uniformity of product appearance. That is, caking or lump forming can produce unevenness in the dusting of the chewing gum product.
In the PCT Publication No. WO 89-07895 by Patel et al., a chewing gum with a rolling compound made from xylitol to enhance sweetness is disclosed. The addition of high potency sweeteners, colors, and flavors to the xylitol rolling compound is also mentioned. It is stated that when the rolling compound is a "carrier" for a liquid flavor, the liquid flavor should be added after the addition of an anti-caking agent. Unfortunately, anti-caking agents can impart an undesirable texture and/or taste to the chewing gum product.